In a new study, U.S. researchers say your deep-pitched voice makes you sound more dominant and intimidating to other men, but it does little to impress women – over the long-term. This all goes back to evolution, according to Penn State University doctors.
A deep, strong, masculine voice is not without its benefits. Women prefer men with deeper voices, and find what they say more memorable than men with higher-pitched ones. And a strong, deep voice can make a man seem more confident and authoritative.
2. Deep-voiced men are rated as being significantly more dominant, both physically and socially, to men with higher voices – and men who believe themselves to be more dominant subconsciously lower their tone when faced with competition.
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research from The University of St. Andrews in Scotland has discovered that teenage girls are attracted by deep male voices, while younger girls feel intimidated by them.
With a speaking voice, pitch refers to a higher or lower frequency. Interestingly, studies show that the most trusted voice is a woman's voice with a deeper-than-average pitch. A deep-pitched man's voice can be viewed as overly forceful, while a high-pitched woman's voice can be dismissed as unserious.
Research confirms that deep voices give men an aura of power and sexual allure. Men with low, resonant voices are more likely to be perceived as attractive, masculine, respectable, and dominant.
Dominant, extroverted, sexually active
It turned out that people with deeper voices were more dominant, extroverted and more likely to be interested in non-relationship sex, according to the study. "Researchers currently assume that differences in voice depth could be a result of sexual selection," says Schild.
As your larynx grows, your vocal cords grow longer and thicker. Also, your facial bones begin to grow. Cavities in the sinuses, the nose, and the back of the throat grow bigger, creating more space in the face that gives your voice more room to echo. All of these factors cause your voice to get deeper.
"However," he says, "evidence suggests men evolved deeper voices mainly for intimidating other men rather than attracting women." Studies show that men with deeper voices tend to have higher testosterone levels (an indicator of dominance) and a more athletic body type.
It used to be thought that voice pitch in mammals relates to body size, but that is no longer believed top be the case. McElligott pointed out that you can have big men with higher-pitched voices, or smaller men with lower-pitched voices, so pitch is not always an indication of body size.
On the flip side, losing weight may lighten your voice if you're a female and deepen your voice if you're a male. If you're not losing a dramatic amount of weight, likely, you won't notice a difference at all in your voice. If you were severely obese before the weight loss, you might notice more clarity in your tone.
Singing is also thought to be genetic because gender can affect your voice; differences in the size of the larynx mean men have deeper voices while women have higher, breathier tones. The natural timbre of your voice is determined by genetics, but you can learn how to train and develop your voice.
Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, helps you access a deeper pitch. This breathing style lets your diaphragm reach its lowest position, which helps slow down vocal cord frequency. Try standing straight, breathing in deep through your nose, and feeling your ribs expand.
Dramatic contraltos have the deepest-ranged voices with heavy tones. This is the darkest, most powerful voice within the category; singers in this class are rare. Very rarely, some female singers can sing as low as male tenors, baritones and even basses.
Often, our voices feel and sound a little hoarse, making us perceive our voice as lower. This could be down to thickened excess mucus that has settled on the vocal cords overnight.
There is also abundant evidence that women prefer men with a deep voice, while men prefer women with a high voice. Attractive male voices are around 96 Hz and the most attractive women voices are up to 280 Hz.
As a result, women find men with lower-pitched voices more attractive. It's the opposite for men, who are more attracted to women with higher-pitched voices, which is perceived as a marker for femininity. Attractiveness in the voice is important for the impressions we give our potential partners.
Results showed that men instinctively change their pitch. Men first speak in a sing-song type of voice and then adjust it to a lower tone when they are talking to someone they find attractive.
Everyone's timing is different, so some boys' voices might start to change earlier and some might start a little later. A boy's voice typically begins to change between ages 11 and 14½, usually just after the major growth spurt. Some boys' voices might change gradually, whereas others' might change quickly.
Puberty is a process of sexual maturation. A voice change is one of the secondary sexual characteristics adolescents develop. In boys, this happens between ages 12 and 16; in girls, between ages 10 and 14.
So it tickled me to discover my voice was referenced in a recent dating study from the University of Sussex which found that men find a lower tone more attractive.
In most scenarios, the voice depth calculation works simply by taking your lowest frequency of which they are 5 or more instances. Thus, your voice depth result is the deepest significant frequency you speak at.
The Contralto voice is the lowest among the female voices, and it is certainly more unique among females, as the typical female voices would probably either be the Soprano or Mezzo Soprano voices.
A different study on the perception of vocal sexiness says that men and women both find mid-pitched voices to be the “most sexy.” At the same time, a different study on interviewers' voices says that being high-pitched with an extensive vocal range is the most attractive.